Blast From The Past
by adelaide97
Summary: Charlotte moves to D.C., escaping the poor choices she's made over the past 15 years. She runs into her childhood friend, Seeley Booth, and it's almost like nothing's changed.
1. Blast from the Past

A/N: What if someone from Seeley's past turned up and helped him to move on from Brennan? Set past ep. 100.

In a Starbucks, somewhat central of Washington DC, a woman of almost 34 sat in the corner of the store, sipping her Grande Chi Tea, and staring out the window, watching people on the streets. As the baristas called out names belonging to the coffees they had just made, this woman, Charlotte, would try match the name with a passer by on the street.

"Anna!" The barista called out. No one in the store seemed to move fast. Even the girl going to claim her drink moved at a slow pace. Charlotte found a girl outside, walking a little Pomeranian, and decided she looked like an Anna.

Her little game was far more interesting than the rest of the patrons sitting inside. They lazily sipped their coffees, eyes grazing over newspaper print. She hadn't realized Washington was so…boring. All she ever heard was about the disturbing crimes at night, and muggings by day. Charlotte, luckily, hadn't been witness to any of that, and found the city completely dull.

"Seeley!" Charlotte turned in her chair, abandoning her game. She knew it was not a very common name, but it couldn't really be the same Seeley she knew, could it?

Charlotte shifted in her chair, sitting on her knees, peering over the back, and watched to see who would claim the name, and the coffee.

And she saw him, in that crisp black suit, bleached white shirt, and flashy red tie. Her mind almost went blank.

"Booth?" She muttered, not able to believe it. "Booth!" She shouted, as he started to walk away. He paused to check that he had his coffee, then turned around, looking for the caller of his name. "Booth!" She said again, not able to stop smiling. She stood up from the chair, and waved her arm at him. She watched as he squinted at her. His reaction just like hers, he muttered her name, then walked closer. He didn't trust his eyes.

"Charlie?" He asked, and jumped up, her arms grabbed his neck, and she hugged him. "I cant believe it." He sounded like he was in awe as he put his arms around her, careful not to spill his drink on her, and they hugged.

"What are you doing in Washington?" Charlotte couldn't keep the grin away from her face. It was Seeley. The first familiar face she'd seen since the day she turned 18 and left Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for good.

"I work here…FBI…Charlie where have you been?" Seeley seemed to be caught between being glad to see her, and concern over where she had been. "You're brother…every time I call him I ask if he's heard from you. It's been almost 10 years Charlie-"

"I know." She said, frowning. She had hoped Seeley had lost contact with Mikey, but apparently not. "Please…don't tell him where I am." She begged. Seeley's look of distress began to fade, and he smiled. Putting down his coffee, he grabbed her again, into one of those Seeley bear hugs she rememeber from when they were young.

"I'm just glad you're alright, Charlie!" He said happily. "We've been worried about you. I mean, I work for the FBI and I couldn't find you."

"You've been checking up on me Seeley?" She laughed.

"I knew you were fine, that if you had disappeared it was because you wanted to." He said, with a smile. "I mean, it's all you've talked about since you were five." He laughed.

"And I did it." She sounded triumphant, but it pained her heart to say it. Booth looked at his watch.

"I have to get to work…" He muttered, staring at the time.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to hold you up-"

"You should come with me." He said, with that famous Seeley grin. "I've just got some paperwork to do. You can come meet the people I work with—you'll love them—and then we can go grab a bite to eat. What do you think?"

"You have actual friends at work? Shocking." She teased. Seeley reached out his hand to her hair and messed it up playfully. "Cut it out!" She said, pushing his arm away. It had been almost 15 years since Charlotte had seen him, but Seeley Booth seemed exactly the same.

"So, you coming?" He asked. She grabbed her purse and her Chi Tea, and followed Seeley Booth.

"This is your office? Not too shabby." Charlotte ran her fingers alone the books placed in his shelves. "No way have you read all these." Booth smirked from behind his desk.

"Don't tell my boss." He said, scribbling on some pieces of paper.

Charlotte watched him. She had moved to this city only a week ago, and had in no way expected to wind up in the office of her old childhood friend, heck, her second old brother, Seeley Booth. Seeley had lived down the street from her when they were younger, and her older brother Mikey had hung around with Seeley and Jared Booth. Jared and Charlotte constantly fought, but her and Seeley had always been very close. She was convinced that it was because they came from such similar backgrounds. Her mother, just like the Booth boy's dad, had been a violent alcoholic. Although her mother never went after Mikey, she had always constantly abused Charlotte, leaving bruises with wooden spoons, books, anything she could through at the girl, and on occasion, the back of her hand.

"Hey Sweetie, I've got that sketch for you." A woman entered the office. Charlotte looked up, her train of thought and memories interrupted. Had this girl just called Booth _Sweetie_?

"Thanks Ange." Seeley replied, not looking up from his work. The woman, 'Ange', turned Charlotte's way.

"And who's the cute blonde you're keeping locked in here?" She asked. Seeley looked up, and looked from one girl to the other, then stood up.

"Oh! Ange, this is Charlotte Danes. Charlie, this is Angela Montenegro." Booth introduced them. "Angela does facial reconstruction on unidentified remains so we can…well, identify them." Angela and Charlotte shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you." Charlotte said, in awe of Angela. She had beautiful, perfectly curled hair, her face was lovely, and she had the prettiest eyes.

"So, how do you two know each other?" She asked, her eyebrow arched with curiosity.

"We grew up together, he lived right down the street from me." Charlotte explained. "I've known Seeley since before I could walk."

"Aw, really?" Angela tilted her head to one side. "So, you knew like, baby Booth? Was he just adorable?" Charlotte laughed.

"He was _much_ cuter then." Booth put his arm around Charlotte, squeezing her.

"That's enough out of you." He turned to Angela. "You have the sketch?" He asked, and she handed it to him. "Great," he turned back to Charlotte, "I have to go drop these off then we can go, I'll be right back-"

"You drop those off, I'll show her around!" Angela had hooked her arm into Charlotte, and was pulling her away from Seeley.

"No! Angela, wait, I'll bring her around after!" He protested, but Angela already had Charlotte out the door.

"Drop off that paperwork, then come find us!" Angela called over her shoulder, laughing.

"Don't let the squints look at her too long…unless its Daisy!" Booth yelled after them, and Charlotte laughed.

"What in the world is a squint?" She asked.

"That's Booth's term for the smart people in the lab, the people who look at the remains and can determine what, and usually who, killed them."

"He calls them squints? He's such a dork, they sound like super heroes to me." Charlotte said, suddenly amazed by the wide open space of the Jeffersonian. "What's that?" She asked, looking over at a large elevated platform.

"That's the lab, c'mon, I think Brennan and everyone are up there." Charlotte could see blue coats flashing around the platform.

"Are they busy? I don't want to bother them…"

"Oh, they love company." Angela said with a smirk that Charlotte didn't trust. Angela swiped a card through a card reader, and buzzer went off, and the door slid open.

"Did you get that sketch over to Booth?" Asked a woman who was hunched over a table; she had dark hair and eyes, her skin a little tanner than Angela's.

"I sure did, and look what i found!" She said, grabbing Charlotte's arm and pulling her in front. "Booth has a little friend."

"She shouldn't be up here. Remains can be very distressing for people who…aren't us." A woman who had her back turned while she spoke to them had something in her hands. Charlotte was almost positive it was the bone from an arm, or a leg. They were both very similar.

"But, it's Booth's childhood play girl-friend! I mean, play friend." Angela laughed. Charlotte was beginning to feel unwelcome in the lab. "So, get over here Brennan so I can introduce everyone!" There were four other people on the stage other than Charlotte and Angela. Two men, and two women.

"Okay! Everyone, this is Charlotte." Angela said, they all smiled.

"Hi, everyone." Charlotte said with a nervous smile.

"Charlotte, this is Jack Hodgins," Angela pointed to a man with a scruffy beard, "And that's Wendell Bray," he was younger, blond hair and he stood up very straight when his name was said. "This is our boss, Cam Saroyan," the dark hair woman gave a small wave, with a friendly smile. "And this is Temperance Brennan, our on staff genius and Booth's field partner." She had a very serious face, her hair was pulled back, the hair not long enough to be tied was tucked behind her ears.

"Nice to meet you." Her voice was flat. "Hodgins, I need you to test the particles I found on the femur." She was obviously not impressed with Charlotte.

"So, you knew young Booth?" Asked Hodgins, ignoring Brennan. "What was that like?"

"It was like having a second older brother. It was kind of awful." She said thoughtfully, and the majority of them laughed. "It was impossible to date anyone in school, most of the boys were too scared to talk to me because they thought Seeley would beat them up." She sighed, but the memory brought a smile to her face.

_ "Hey Danes." Charlotte was playing with the lock on her locker. 39-3-39. "What's up?" Charlotte looked up, and Mark Hems was leaning up against the wall next to her, one hand shoved deep into his pocket, the other casually holding a physics book. _

_ "Do you need something Mark?" She asked as she exchanged her books in her locker. A smirk pulled at her lips._

_ "Well, I was wondering what you were doing Friday night? Timmy McNeal's having a party and I was wondering….if um…if…"Charlotte closed her locker, and looked at the stuttering boy, wondering if her was really __**that**__ nervous to ask her out. "I…uh, should get going." She noticed he wasn't looking at her, but directly behind her. He turned, and waked in the direction he had just come from. Charlotte pursed her lips. She was going to kill him._

_ "Seeley." She said before she turned around to face the older Booth brother. "What do you think you're doing?" She demanded, giving the large senior boy a hard shove._

_ "Why are you talking to Hems? That kid's a punk." He said, glaring off at him walking down the hall. _

_ "Well, he was going to ask me out, until you showed up. Is that what you do between classes? Stake out my locker to make sure boys stay away?" She asked, and he just shrugged. "I'm seriously going to murder you!" She said angrily, walking towards her class and brushing past Seeley._

_ "He's just not a good kid, Charlie!" He hurried right behind her, she wouldn't even look at him. "If your brother had been walking by, he would have done the same thing." _

_ "No, Seeley! He wouldn't! He'd let me go on a date, find out the kid's a creep, and learn from my mistakes!" She said, stopping in the hall to face him. "You have to let me do things on my own!" She demanded._

_ "I was just watching out for you…" Charlotte glared at him, took in a sharp breath, then walked off to class alone._

"Was he really a popular jock? I bet he was secretly some chess nerd or something. Did he ever get beaten up?" Hodgins was getting excited.

"Oh, total jock. He did get into a fight once…but he wasn't the one who was beaten up." Charlotte frowned at the memory.

"Bummer." He said, Charlotte and Angela laughed.

"So, what about you?" Wendell asked, "where are you from?"

"Pittsburg, originally, then I moved to Boston, then New York for a few years, then I flew out to L.A., but not for long. After L.A, I went back to New York, and, well, now I'm here."

"Charlotte Danes…" Cam muttered. Charlotte looked at her. "I remember that name…Booth, he had us search for you. Well, not _me,_ I don't do searches, but…I remember he showed me your file. He _really_ wanted you found."

"I needed some…time alone." Charlotte said, trying to blush out of embarrassment. She had an FBI file? How long had Seeley been looking for her? Or, when did he stop?

"Yeah, 15 years of alone time." She turned to see Seeley walking up to them. She shrugged.

"You were getting a little unbearable." She said playfully, and he laughed at her.

"Well, good old fate brought you back to me." He said, and Brennan let out a snort of a laugh.

"If you're going to thank fate Booth, you might as well thank God while you're at it Booth." She said, still fixated on the human remains that Charlotte was trying to ignore. Seeley let out a groan.

"Charlie, you and Bones here will get along just fine. She hates my religion almost as much as you do." He had nodded towards Brennan when he had said 'Bones', and given her job, Charlotte assumed it was her nickname.

"I don't hate your religion, I just find that it's more of an…escape from reality. You put too much stock in what the Religion tells you to do, and how to act." Brennan put the bone down.

"Exactly." Charlotte said. "I've been telling him that since I could talk. Falling back on Catholicism for comfort is just a coping mechanism. No one wants to think that when they die, they're just dead. God and heaven are just things to make it not seem so bad. And basing your life around some fictional stories taken for truth, well, it's just silly." Brenna smiled.

"I like her." She said, nodding. "You should listen to her more often." Charlotte smirked at Seeley.

"Well, little miss know it all here and I are going to get something to eat, catch up a bit. I'll see you guys later." Seeley put his arm on her shoulder to guide her out.

"What are you guys doing later tonight?" Wendell called after them, Charlotte grabbed Seeley's arm to pause him for a moment. "We're getting drinks after work, you should come…you both should." He said, and he smiled at Charlotte.

"Oh, I'm sure Charlie has plans or-"

"That sounds fun." She cut Seeley off, and he frowned.

"Great…we'll call you two later then." Wendell said happily. They all called out 'bye' to Charlotte, and she turned back to wave to them, smiling.

"You were right, I do like your friends." She said to Seeley as they walked out of the Jeffersonian.

"Hmm, they might like you a bit too much." He muttered. She rolled her eyes.

"You haven't changed a bit. You know that, right?" She laughed, but he just looked stern.


	2. Reaquainting

"So, it sounds like you've been all over." Seeley had brought her to a place that was still serving breakfast, even though it was 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Breakfast was her favorite meal. "I heard you telling everyone."

"Yeah…it was nice." She said, cutting into her French toast with her fork. "All the places I wanted to go when I was younger, I got to go."

"So, is that what you did? You just…traveled after high school?"

"I started off at college in Boston, I went to BC for a year. I got some pretty good scholarships from school, but…" She took a hot sip of coffee. "The money dried up pretty quick. So, I picked up and went to New York, hell bent on becoming some famous writer. Instead, I worked four crappy jobs to pay for my crappy little loft. New York was great though, I made some friends, and had some good times…" New York hadn't been all good times for her though. She didn't want Seeley to know, but New York had been a very corrupt time. "A few of my friends were leaving to go to L.A., and somehow got me to go with them. It was…it was just so different from the East Coast though. I didn't last very long."

"How come you didn't stay in New York when you came back?" He asked, biting into a strip of bacon.

"I…it just wasn't the same without my friends." She lied with a smile. His eyebrow peaked, and she could tell he didn't quite believe her. "What about you, Seels? How the heck did you get to be all suit wearing and gun carrying?"

"I was, uh…I went into the Army. I was a sniper for the USAR-"

"You what?" She cut him off, almost positive that she had misheard him.

"I was a sniper." He said, looking down at his food, scraping his fork through his eggs.

"_You_? _You_, Seeley Booth, were a sniper for the army? What about all that-" she stopped, and lowered her voice, "what about all those things you used to say about J. W. Booth?" She whispered. Seeley had always been very clear on the feelings of what his secret ancestor had done, and how he was very opposed to killing. "You'd be the last person I'd expect to pick up a gun and…"

"I know, but it was a good cause Charlie. You have to know I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was for the best." She nodded, and she knew it was true. Seeley had the best morals of anyone she had ever met, including herself. "The FBI job just kind of fell into my lap after that." He said, taking a bite of his eggs.

"Anything else groundbreaking I should know about?" She asked.

"I solve crimes a lot." He said enthusiastically. "And…I have a son." He tried to slip that past her, but she had heard it loud and clear. The word _son_ was still ringing in her ears. She had checked his left hand earlier for a ring, and was positive she hadn't seen one. She double checked, and he caught her. "We didn't get married….his mother and I. She…she said no." He said, taking a drink from his orange juice.

"You're a dad?" Was all she could ask. Obviously Seeley would make a great dad, he had the biggest heart around, and she was sure that he would be great for teaching his son about sports and girls and all that. "You're a dad." She said, smiling at thoughts of Seeley playing football with a younger version of himself.

"His name's Parker." He pulled out his wallet, and showed her a picture. He had the same light blonde hair Seeley had grown out of so many years ago.

"He looks just like you." She was almost positive it was just a picture of Seeley when he was younger. "What happened with you and his mom?"

"It wasn't planned. Parker, he wasn't planned." He sighed. "I thought I was in love with her, and she just tolerated me." Charlotte frowned, not liking the thought of someone dating Seeley that didn't love him the way he loved her. "It was harder in the beginning. She didn't like Parker coming to stay with me…but she's great about it now. I get him weekends, twice a month." He said, smiling at the thought of his son. "What about you? Are you seeing someone? No kids, I'm guess?" He asked, giving her the look he always gave her when he was asking about who she was dating. She laughed.

"I've barely been here a month. I'm not dating anyone. I did, but no, I don't have kids, no husbands, or ex husbands. I've never been in love, and I've never wanted to be." She shrugged, playing with her fork and breakfast.

"You broke some hearts in New York, didn't you? That's why you left. And, that's why you went back. Am I right?" He asked, as if he'd been wondering about her leaving New York all along.

"No, and I really don't want to talk about it, Seeley Booth." She said, using his full name for authority. "New York, L.A., college, it's all in the past, and I don't want to think about it. Got it?" She asked, pointing her fork at him. He smiled.

"Right." He said, with that devious smile of his which meant he wasn't going to drop it any time soon.

After breakfast, Seeley had pulled her into a bad, and taken her into the city. He had been appalled when she told him she hadn't seen the Washington Monument yet, and brought her there so they could walk around.

"Neat." She said childishly, as they stood at the edge of the pond opposite the Monument. "Lot bigger than it is in text books." She said. Seeley nudged her with his shoulder, and started to walk. "So, how's my brother?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask." Seeley didn't sound happy. "He's doing fine. He's a teacher. History-"

"Of course." She cut in.

"He's married you know." Charlotte looked up at Seeley, who faced forward as they walked. "Went to his wedding two years ago. I was hoping to see you there, but…well, he's got a kid on the way now." Seeley finally looked over at her. "You really should call him Charlie. As mad as he is at you for running off, just seeing you would mean a lot to him."

Charlotte's insides began to twist. Her brother had been married. He had a wife, and she was pregnant. She had no idea. Her big brother's life hadn't stopped when she had left. He'd grown up, done something important with his life, obviously made it through college. He had turned out fine.

"What was it Charlotte? What kept you away all this time?" Seeley had stopped walking. He had also called her Charlotte, which was a very serious sign. "You…you never even called." He wasn't looking right at her, she tilted her head down to catch his stare.

"Seeley, I'm sorry. I was awful not to call…I really want to just tell you everything but…I think it's better if I don't. For now anyway." She said, very apologetically. Seeley finally looked her in the eyes, and nodded.

"Alright…but you really should call your brother." He said, trying to sound authoritative.

"I was actually planning on it. Being here in D.C., it's like a fresh start for me Seeley. " She said happily, and started walking again.

"I still can't believe it. I cant believe I walked in to get coffee today, and you were there. 15 years, I haven't heard a word, but there you are, standing there waving at me. Actually, I think the last time I saw you, you were waving then too."

_ "Chars, just come with us!" A 20 year old Seeley Booth insisted. _

_ "No! She __**can't**__!" Jared Booth insisted. "Guys only! It's a camping trip! Where's she even going to pee!" Charlotte punched him in the arm._

_ "Shut up Jared." She glared at him, then turned back to Seeley. "You guys go. Have your end of summer camping trip without me. I'll stay home," she turned and glared at Jared, "and knit something." Jared rolled his eyes._

_ By the next morning, the boys had gotten their things together, Seeley parked his little four door Chevy in Charlotte's driveway, the boys packed there stuff in and were ready to go. Charlotte hugged her brother goodbye._

_ "Please, don't get eaten by bears. It'll be all I ever hear about." She advised him. He laughed, and hugged her again._

_ "Be good." He told her, and got into the car._

_ "Later loser." Jared shouted over the car at her, and jumped in the front seat. Seeley was sitting on the trunk of the car, arms crossed, his brow furrowed. _

_ "You're going to be late for nature if you don't get going." She teased him, but he still seemed upset._

_ "I wish you'd just come with us." He said, aggravated. "I don't like leaving you alone…" he said staring at her house. If Seeley or Mike were around, her mother was less likely to be violent while she was drunk._

_ "I'm heading up to my grandmothers tonight. Stop worrying about me so much. People will start to talk." She said, raising her eyebrow. Seeley shook his head, trying not to let a smile slip._

_ "You are just impossible, did you know that?" Seeley slid off the back of the car. He pulled her into a hug._

_ "God, you're getting huge. What do they feed you in college? Is it horse? I bet it's horse." Charlotte tried her best to smile. Tried to pretend everything was normal._

_ "I'll call you when we get home. Tell Grams we all say hi." He said, laughing at her concern at his size. She couldn't help but hug him again. It was impulsive, and caught him by surprise._

_ "Have fun." She said quickly, and stepped back. Jared began to honk the horn for Seeley, and it distracted him. "See you when you get back!" She called over her shoulder as she walked into her house. Seeley stood there for a moment, in her driveway, then got into the car. She stood on her front porch, and waved at the car of boys as it drove down the street._

_ Charlotte really did go to her Grandmothers that night. She packed up almost all of her clothes, and everything she needed, and took the bus up to see her. Unknown to her mother, her brother, or either of the Booth boys, Charlotte had been accepted to BC. She had told her Grandmother who had told her that her father had been sending checks ever since he had left the family. The checks were sent to Charlotte's Grandmother because her father knew her mother couldn't be trusted. He Grandmother explained that it was how Mikey had afforded his first year of College, and that with the scholarships Charlotte had earned, she would be able to go to BC. Charlotte's Grandmother had told her this the moment she had been accepted to the school._

_ However, Charlotte wanted it to be a secret. She wanted to escape. From her mother, mainly, but from the life that she had been living for the past 18 years. Her Grandmother had promised not to say a word._

_ It had been different for her brother. He could go away to school, and look forward to coming home on weekends. Charlotte wanted to go away and never come back. Not for weekends, not for the summer, never. She was worried if Mike knew where she was, he would try and come bring her home, or worse, tell their mother and have her come find Charlotte. Charlotte never wanted to see her mother again, as long as she could help it. 18 years of physical and verbal abuse were enough. Mike had no idea. All he knew was that during dinner, if Charlotte talked back to her mother, she'd get slapped. He didn't know that while he was off at football practice, or a baseball game, their drunk of a mother would use any reason she could to scream at Charlotte, often ending up in things being thrown, bruises appearing, or once, noses being broken._

_ Charlotte wasn't a weak or passive girl, but she was small. Being 18 and only 5'2'' was a problem for her. Her mother had been 5'5'', and about 175 pounds. Little 110 pound Charlotte couldn't very well fight back. And if she did, her mother threatened to kick her out of the house. So, Charlotte would shield herself as best as she could, or lock herself in her room or the bathroom until her mother passed out. Charlotte had taken enough. She needed to leave._

_ She knew what it meant, too. She knew that it meant cutting off all ties. She couldn't ever talk to Seeley Booth again. Her best friend, her confidant, her only friend. He would tell her brother, having only the best intentions, and she couldn't have that. She knew that if she wanted to have a chance at a normal life, she'd have to cut them out of her life, at least for a little while. She was sure that after college, after she had a degree, and maybe even a job, she could call them, tell them everything was fine, and how she was doing. But not a moment sooner than that. She knew he would understand. Once she had that college degree, Seeley would understand._

"Wendell seemed to take quite an interest in you." Seeley said, bringing Charlotte out of her thought. She laughed.

"Seeley Booth! Will you stop! I'm 33 years old now!" She laughed, pushing him with both of her hands. "You can't keep doing this to me!"

"I didn't even say anything about it! I was just…observing!" Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he seemed nice. Friendly boy." She said, and Seeley let out a laugh. She looked up at him questioningly.

"Boy. That's exactly what he is…a boy." He smirked. "He dated Angela for a while too. She thought she was pregnant. Not really that responsible."

"Seeley, I'm not going to date him, so stop trying to scare me off so soon!" She couldn't help but smile. It was like nothing had changed. They might as well be walking down the hallway of their high school as opposed to the grass leading up to the Washington Monument.

"So, you're really going to come out tonight?" He asked after while of walking silently. "With my friends?"

"Yeah, they seem nice, and normal. I could really go for some nice and normal friends." She said, thoughtfully.

"I'm glad. It's really great having you around again…and hopefully having you around for a while." She saw him glance up at her to judge her reaction.

"Well, I was planning on staying in D.C. for a while, even before I knew you were here. Finding you is like…well, it's like a bonus reason to stick around." She watched as he tried to fight off a large smile, and suppress it to a grin.

"Do you want me to pick you up tonight? What's your cell phone number, I could call you before I come?" He asked, pulling out his own phone.

"Oh…I don't have one." She said, with an empty handed shrug.

"You don't have one?" He asked, as if he'd never heard such a response.

"I've never had anyone that I wanted to be able to contact me. I send letters to my grandmother, but that's about it. Sorry I don't live in your technologically connected world, Seeley." He didn't seem happy about this.

"Okay, well I can still pick you up-"

"No, it's fine. I can take a cab." She watched him turn to her, eyebrow raised in question. "It's not a big deal. I need to learn the city." Truthfully, she wanted Seeley no where near her apartment. She could only imagine his reaction to the neighborhood, or the actual building itself. It was ideal for her, it was down the street from the little diner she worked at, and three blocks away was the bookstore she had a job at. They were low paying jobs, and she lived in a low cost apartment. Seeley would take one look at it, and she knew he would object. She didn't want to be his charity case though, his heart was almost too big in that respect. He didn't like to see the people around him struggle.

"Alright…" He said, still frowning. "If that's what you want to do." Seeley knew better than to try and persuade her when her mind was made up. She smiled as they continued to walk.


	3. Night Out

She had arrived last. Seeley was relieved once he spotted her, she always had him worried. He was almost positive she wouldn't show. He didn't like that she had no cellphone, there was no way he could keep track of her. Not that he needed to keep track of her, she was a grown woman now that could obviously take care of herself. But still, knowing where she was would be much more of a comfort to him.

"Get lost?" Wendell asked after he had waved her over to their table. Charlie smirked as she walked up the table they were standing around.

"No, I found it just fine. Seeley gives excellent directions." She said, giving him a smile.

"I try," he said with a shrug. He was surprised she came at all. He was still almost sure that she was a figment of his imagination. That he had imagined running into her this morning, that she wasn't sitting right across this round table from him, right between Wendell and Angela.

"I was just about to go get a drink Charlotte, you want to come with me up to the bar?" Angela asked, and Charlotte nodded, following her. Seeley couldn't help notice Wendell watch as the two girls walked away. He tried to pretend he wasn't watching the way her black skirt clung to her as she moved away.

"Angela has taken a real liking to your friend." Temperance said, taking a sip from her cocktail glass.

"Charlie's pretty likeable." He said, Wendell turned back to the conversation.

"So, did you two date or something?" He asked. Seeley's jaw clenched

"We were very close." He was staring at Wendell, trying not to glare.

"Dude," Hodgins leaned over towards Wendell, and shook his head. "Don't get into it." Hodgins laughed.

"What? There's nothing to "get in to." Charlie and I, we're..." Seeley went quite as the girls came back.

"Well, I'm happy to say I've found a new drinking partner!" Angela laughed as they came back to the table.

"Oh stop, Angela. That was all you." Charlie laughed, but her cheeks looked red. She was blushing.

"What happened?" Seeley asked, his curiosity peaked.

"We just got our drinks bought for us, it's not a big deal" Charlie took a sip from her beer.

"Oh, Sweetie," Angela shook her head, then turned back to the table, "they offered to pay for our whole night if we just danced with them!" Charlie laughed.

"What? Girls are so lucky." Hodgins shook his head, looking at his own beverage.

"Lucky? It feels more like prostitution than luck!" She said, and everyone laughed.

"I agree!" Brennan said through laughter.

"So, how come you came to D.C.?" Angela finally asked, after they had all stopped laughing. Seeley turned to her, this was a question he was dying to hear the answer to. The only other questioned that was burning in the back of his mind was why did she leave in the first place?

_Seeley was a polite boy. He was honest, and just all around nice. He tried to remember his usual temperament as he banged on the door of Helen Grate's door. _

"_I'm coming!" Yelled the elderly voice behind the door. Seeley stopped knocking, and stepped back. Charlie's Grandmother opened her door, her face twisted a bit when she saw him standing there. "Seeley…What can I do for you?" She asked._

"_Where is she Helen?" Seeley asked. "Her mum's in a rage about her disappearing. Is she here?" The woman was silent. "She's not here, is she?" She wouldn't speak, or even move. "Helen, where did she go?"_

"_She's gone, Seeley." She said, her voice shook a bit. She was nervous, scared of him. "She wanted to leave, so she did." He shook his head._

"_No. She would have told me. She would have told Mike." The elderly woman just stood in the doorway, her curled white hair bounced with her as she shook her head 'no'_

"_She wanted to leave. She didn't want either of you to know because she didn't want you to come after her, or try and bring her back."_

"_So, I can't even talk to her?" The old woman shook her head again. Seeley was furious with her, or so in thought. Really, he was just in such a rage that Charlie had left without telling him. He just didn't want to admit it. "Why?"_

"_You know the saying dear. If you love something, let it go." She said softly. "She deserves a fresh start. So I gave it to her. I'd let you know where she was, but I know her. She'd come back if you asked her to. She'd give up having a normal life away from her mum for you." And as much as Seeley wanted her back, he knew now why she had left. It was all about escaping her past, even him. She needed to separate herself from it all. "You're a good boy, Seeley Booth. You've got your heart in the right place. I'll let you know the moment she comes back calling for you. But until then, you leave her alone. Let her make her mistakes, fall in love, get her heartbroken, and live her life all on her own. No more interfering from you. Be a good boy Seeley. If you love her, let her go."_

"Honestly?" Charlie asked, and everyone was waiting for her answer. "My Grandmother knows the guy who owns the apartment I live in. She set it up for me." Seeley looked over to her, but she wasn't returning his stare.

Her Grandmother sent her here. He knew Helen was aware of where he lived. He wondered if she had sent Charlie here to him.

"Where's your apartment?" Temperance asked. Charlie's eyes flinched a bit. Seeley was wondering the same thing. She had been a bit too secretive about where she was living, but he hadn't wanted to pry.

"No where, glamorous." She said with a smirk, taking a sip of her beer. "But it's a nice place to sleep." Just as always, Charlie was downplaying her problems, he knew it. She was smiling, but Seeley gut was twisting inside. He was worried just how awful her apartment really was.

"Well," Wendell pushed away from the table," I can't afford to buy all your drinks, but I'm still gonna ask you ladies to dance." He said with a sleek grin. Seeley gripped his beer tightly.

"You wish Wendell." Angela laughed, looping her arm through Charlie's. "You can watch, though." She pulled Charlie, who laughed and looked over to Seeley with a smile, over to Brennan. Angela looped her other arm with Brennan. "Come on, Sweeties."

"I'm good with that." Wendell said quickly.

"Same here." Hodgins said, following the girls. Seeley watched from the table as the group enjoyed themselves, and kept a close eye on Wendell's proximity to Charlie.

He tried to get close, but Angela wouldn't give him the chance to cut in. Seeley had never loved Angela more.

It was Temperence who broke away from the group first, she walked over the table, and grabbed her coat.

"Too much fun?" Seeley asked.

"I've got another date with Andrew." She said, checking her watch. "I'm supposed to meet him for a movie at 10:00." She said, throwing her coat over her shoulder.

"Tell Hacker I said hi." Seeley calls after her as she scurried out of the car, throwing her hand up behind her in a half hearted wave. He loved that woman. He'd been sure she would be the one. But, he poured his heart out to her, and she had rejected it. Shut him down completely.

After the Temperance fiasco, he was almost convinced he just wasn't meant for love. The mother of his child didn't even like him, Temperance had rejected him, and he'd never really been close with any other woman. Except for Charlie, but they had never been in love. They had always been friends.

That wasn't quite the truth. They had never been in love with each other. Seeley had loved her. He had protected her when they were children, teenagers, even now all he wanted to do was save her from whatever might be wrong, and he was sure something was wrong.

But she had left. She turned 18, and she left; and once she had gone, he had realized what he had lost. He had lost the love of his young life. He let her go only because of her Grandmother's words. _"If you love her, let her go." _So he had. Sure, he might have tried to find her a few times, but only for Mike. Only so Mike could know she was safe. Seeley himself had been a little concerned with her safety, but he was she her Grandmother would have said something if she was in any trouble.

"Not feeling in the dancey mood?" Angela had come back to the table. Seeley turned his eyes over to where Charlie was, making sure she was fine without Angela. "Oh Sweetie, you need to relax!" Angela laughed. "She's a big girl, and I'm sure she's _very _capable of taking care of herself. Stop watching her like a hawk…" she took a long sip of her neon colored drink, "and just go dance!" She finished.

"I don't…dance." He said, watching Wendell and wondering how he would look doing what the boy was doing.

"Fine." Angela quipped. "Let Wendell have all the fun." Seeley glared at her as she gulped down the rest of her drink, then scampered back over to their friends.

"Your friends are so fun!" Charlie whispered to Seeley when they finally came back to the table. She was working on her forth beer now, and was all smiles. It amazed him how her mother could become a monster when alcohol was in her system, but Charlie was just bubbly and goofy.

Everyone chatted loudly across the table, Angela told Charlie about cases they had all worked on, and explained exactly what everyone did.

"You must be an excellent artist!" Charlie was shocked Angela could reconstruct faces just from bones.

"She really is." Hodgins said, looking sideways at Angela with a sleek smile. Booth wondered how long it would be before they got back together.

The group continued to chat and exchanges laughes. Seeley loved how each time someone made a joke, Charlie would laugh, then look over to Seeley, like she was making sure he thought it was funny too. He couldn't stop smiling.

"Waking up for work is gonna be awful" Angela double checked her watch, as if she had read it wrong and it wasn't 1:30. They moved as a large group, Angela and Charlie in the front, arms looped. "Hodgins and I are going this way" Angela said pointing off through the streetsm "what about you Charlie?" She was hoping Charlie would wanted to share a cab.

"I'm the other direction." Charlie said with an apologetic face.

"Darn. Well, we better see your face around more often." Angela said, and wrapped her arms around Charlie, who Seeley just noticed was at least 5 inches shorter than Angela.

"I'm sure I'll see you guys around." Charlie said, waving as Hodgins and Angela got into one cab, and Wendell got into another.

"I know you're going to say no, but do you want me to give you a ride home?" Seeley offered after his friends had driven off. Charlie turned around, a hint of a glare in her eyes, wearing a snarky smile. "Didn't think so." Her look was enough of an answer.

"I'm really glad I ran into you, Seeley." She said, her hands ran around his back in a tight hug. She looked up at him, smiling. "I still can't believe my little Seeley's all grown up," her hand slipped under his tie, pulling it away from his shirt as if to examine it, "you look like a real adult in this get up, you know?" She said, looking lost in her thoughts.

"That's kind of the idea." His voice seemed to bring her back. She stepped back.

"I'll see you around Seel. Gimme a call sometime." She said with a wink.

"Very funny," he called to her as she stepped into a waiting cab, "you don't even have a phone!"


End file.
